Improvement in heaters for buildings



J A. LAWSON.

Hot Air Furnace,

No. I Patented Fb. 7,1865.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. LAWSON, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN HEATERS FOR BUILDINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,250, dated February7, 1865; antedated November 15, 1864.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES A. Lawson, of the city of Troy, county ofRensselaer, and State of New York, have in vented certain new and usefulimprovements in furnaces or heaters for dwellings, stores, churches,850., when the same may be used for heating or warming purposes; and Ihereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being hereby had to the accompanyingdrawings, together with the letters of reference thereon marked.

Like letters represent and refer to like or corresponding parts.

Figure 1 is a front elevation Fig. 2,'a section on the line A B, Fig. 5.Fig. 3 is a side elevation. Fig. 4 is a section on the line C D, Fig. 5;and Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line E F, Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 isa vertical section showing the parts hereinafter more fully described.

The nature of my invention and improvement consists in the employment ofreturnflues directly underneath the ash pit or chamber, in combinationwith the vertical draftipes, hereinafter described, so that the coldair, on entering the heater at the lower part of the base, will becomesomewhat heated before passing into and through the heatingtubes,hereinafter described, by means of the return-flues, the fire pot orchamber, and upper cylinder or radiator, and each hereinafter fullydescribed and set forth.

To'enable others skilled in the art to make and use my said invention, Iwill here proceed to describe the construction and operation of thesame.

A is the fire pot or chamber.

B is the ash pit or chamber, upon which rests the said fire-chamber, andwhich ashchamber is directly upon the flue chamber or space G, whichsaid space or chamber is divided into two parts by means of thepartition-plate H, Fig. 4, which said plate joinsthe top plate of thesaid fiuechamber at I, same figure, and between the pipes D and E, thusand thereby forming a return-flue, a b, Fig. 4.

F is a cross-pipe, connecting the vertical pipes D and E. In thiscross-pipe is the damper J, which is for the purpose of regulating thedraft and giving the samethe direction through the said flue space orchamber above described, whereby and by means of which a greater orenlarged heating-surface is attained for the purpose of the heating ofthe air for distribution to and through the apartments to be warmed.When the said damper is closed, the draft will be dowh the vertical pipeD, along the flue a to the front of the said flue space or chamber, andthence along the said fiue b to the rear end of the said flue-chamber,and thence up the vertical exit-pipe E. When the said damper is open,then the draft is direct, and there will of course be little or nocirculation of the fire or heated air through the said fineshereinbefore described. The said damper is operated 7 by means of therod K, Fig. 4. The said fire pot or chamber may be of any shape or sizedeemed desirable. At the bottom of the said fire-chamber there is afire-grate, of any construction deemed best. Upon the top of andsurrounding the said fire-chamber I construct a cylinder, 0, whichcontains the heating-tubes c, Fig. 4. These tubes are for the purpose ofheating the air to be distributed to the apartments to be warmed bymeans of the pipes L. The fire-pot itself contributes largely to theheating of such air. The said air may be heated, first, by the fluespace or chamber G second, by the fire pot or chamber A; and, third, bypassing upward through the said heating-tubes c. This is the usualmanner of heating such air. There may be as many such heating-tubes asdeemed best, and they may be of any size or material to answer therequired purposes.

M M is the outside casing, which may be made of sheet-iron of any kindor quality, which is for the purpose of retaining the air while beingforced into contact with the heating-surfaces hereinbefore described.

N is the door for supplying the fire chamber with fresh coal. There maybe adarnperin the door which closes up the front of the said ash pit orchamber B, for the purpose of admitting the draft in the usual manner.The vertical exit-pipe E connects at its lower end with the rear end ofthe lower flue, b, while the vertical draft-pipe D connects the lowerend with the first part of the return-flue a in the base of the heaterand immediately below the said ash pit or chamber. The said return-fluemay be cleaned out entirely clean by means of the opening 0 directly infront of the same. This entire furnace or heater may rest upon a solidwall, P, of any desired height from the surface of the ground or flooron which the same may be placed. An air-chamber may, if desir-able, beformed underneath the entire heater. The air to be heated is admittedthrough the opening B, Fig. 3, and then surrounding and passing theheating-surfaces aforesaid it is heated to the desired temperature anddistributed to the apartments to be warmed in the manner aforesaid. Ifdesirable to moisten the air thus to be heated, or heated by theevaporation of water,the same may be done without any difficulty. Thesaid heating-pipes c are securely held in their respective places bymeans of a plate at each end thereof, having pipe-holes of the size tocorrespond with that of said heating-pipes, with a flange entirelyaround such pipe-hole of a size to receive the pipe aforesaid and holdthem in their desired place, which when donethe same may be securedtogether firmly in any way deemed best. The full size of the saidheating-pipes 0 will project over and beyond the top of the said firepot or chamber A, so that the air passing upward alongside of the saidfirechamber will enter the lower ends of the said pipes, and passingupward through them will become heated to that temperature required. Thesaid pipes are heated by the fire in the firechamber, to which theentire surface of the said pipes is exposed. The upper end of thevertical pipe 1) is connected to the firechamber at S.

T, Figs. 1 and 3, is a cylinder, entirely surrounding the said pipes c,which becomes heated by the same means which heat the said pipes 0,which, when thus heated, contributes largely to heat the air to be usedfor warming purposes in addition to the other parts hereinbeforedescribed.

Having thus described my said invention and improvement in furnaces orheaters, What 1 claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The employment of the return-flue space or chamber G, in combinationwith the vertical pipes D and E and with the fire-chamber A, in themanner and for the purposes substantially as herein described and setforth.

In testimony whereof I have, on this 20th day of April, A. D. 1864,hereto set my hand.

JAMES A. LAWSON.

Witnesses:

l\[ARCUS'P. NORTON, B. MACGREGOR.

